The term “glamping” is a recent edition to our lexicon. It is the words, glamour and camping combined. Two terms that are not traditionally synonymous with each other.

Essentially it means you stay outdoors in a big posh tent, i.e one that has enough space for luxury items like a TV and a cupboard.

Bambu Glamping City Hostel is therefore aiming to offer a slightly different experience from your normal hostel. It is tucked away a few blocks up from Parque Lleras next to the stream that runs through Poblado, Quebrada La Presidenta.

Indeed from the first view, you see that there is a deliberate intention to have an outdoorsy feel. Two big pieces of Bamboo host the hostel’s welcome sign and as you enter it feels more like an old house, than a modern hostel.

It is cosy and compact inside. There is a huge map adorning the small dining room next to the kitchen and it has a kitsch, cool kind of feel to it.

The dorms are your standard eight bed affairs with four bunk beds, nothing to write home about, however it is the outdoor area where the hostel differentiates itself.

Outdoor vibe

Outside is littered with lots of wooden tables in a spacious area dotted with hammocks and log-based seating. It is going for a rustic and authentic campfire type of vibe.

Indeed the air feels fresher, you see some chickens merrily running around and you forget that you are in a very urban area.

The pièce de résistance is situated at the rear of the outdoor area. Two, you guessed it, tents. Built on wooden platforms. Here comes the glamping.

Let’s go glamping..!

The interior of the tents are pleasant with wooden floors, sizeable king size beds, a TV and cupboard for your belongings.

It feels like you should be on an African safari rather than the 500 meters down the road from the center of Poblado. Everything is clean and although lacking air-conditioning, I could imagine it wouldn’t be too uncomfortable to spend a night inside.

Prices for the dorms start from 25,000 pesos ($10) per person per night and your authentic glamping experience is valued at 50,000 pesos ($20). Reasonable and competitive in the Medellín hostel stakes.

It also just got awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2015 which shows they must be doing something right to keep the guests happy.

If your idea is to get away a bit from the main nightlife areas of Parque Lleras, while being close enough to stroll in, and you fancy something a bit different, then this could be your go to option.

It would be a bit like when you were a kid and you camped outside in your garden, but you get a TV and you are allowed to watch it…

]]>http://medellinliving.com/bambu-glamping-city-hostel/feed/0http://medellinliving.com/bambu-glamping-city-hostel/We’re Not in Kansas Anymore: A Colombian Story of Returnhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedellinLiving/~3/5s4_aa_dphQ/
http://medellinliving.com/colombian-story/#commentsWed, 10 Jun 2015 13:00:00 +0000http://medellinliving.com/?p=28318Monica is a Colombian-American who has been living in Kansas for 15 years. This is her Colombian Story of Return which brought both shock and comfort.

Monica Restrepo and I are uncontrollably close. She, daughter of my father’s brother-yes, my cousin- was born just nine months before me back in the 90s.

She taught me how to climb stairs, we went through puberty rites together, approved of each other’s significant others-or didn’t-and have been best friends for over 22 years.

However, it hasn’t been easy. Ours is a story with tangents such as cultural displacement, political asylum, family disputes, and continuous rootlessness.

We had been apart for seven years, since my political asylum was denied in the United States back in 2008, but she came in May and rediscovered a country she left 15 years ago, when she was just eight years old.

I was curious and excited to get her perspective on the culture shock she could feel among her own. This is our Colombian Story of Return, mine permanent, hers temporary.

Monica (on the left) and I when we were around nine years old.

The Origins

Monica, like me, was born in Manizales, Colombia in the coffee triangle, a city known for its proximity to the volcano Nevado del Ruiz and close-knit community with traditional (read: old-fashioned) values.

She had attended two different Catholic schools before her family uprooted to the United States in 2000. We had family in Kansas, so it was logical that, as Colombians, that’s where we would go.

We understood we had roots in family, but growing up we learned that roots can ground you, surround you and possibly suffocate you.

My family followed one year later and on arrival, like hers, filed for political asylum. We attended separate public schools and took in American culture.

After pending for years, her asylum was approved, and mine was denied. My family left on “voluntary leave,” but there is nothing voluntary about being exiled from a country you understood as your own. We were 15 years old, and so began our separation.

For seven years, we stood 4251.01 kilometers from each other, carefully planning our reunion.

Parque de las Luces

The Return

May 29th, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. I patiently waited at the international arrivals gate in the Rionegro airport. When she came out, we ran towards each other, crashed into a stance of relief.

“How is it that you still smell the same?” she asked burying her head in the nook of my shoulder, her suitcase at our feet.

From that moment on, I studied her patiently. Her accent that was almost a typical paisa accent, her behavior that wasn’t American or Colombian, it was all her own.

She compared several scenarios to ones she had seen volunteering in Mexico or visiting Puerto Rico; she saw similarities between cultures and she understood the jokes- most of them, anyway.

“Muchas gracias señor/señora” she’d say to any given bus driver, mango salesmen, Metro staff, and whoever else might have done her a service.

She laughed at the wit of Colombian humor; she slammed every door she could lay her hands on, sending taxi drivers into madness.

“¿Quiere un mango?” (Do you want some mango?) she’d ask the blind man sitting next to her on La 70, placing a piece of green fruit in his hand.

“Don’t acknowledge street salesmen or catcalls” I’d say, But in moments, she’d smile at artisans on the street telling them all how beautiful their work was, or laugh loudly at the old man who’d look at her and yell “An angel!” And somehow, it was all okay.

She felt at home like she had left Colombia a few months and came back home.

Monica speaking to a salesman in Santa Fe de Antioquia.

“What are you surprised by?”

I told her I wanted to write this article. “Tell me what surprises you as it happens.” I said.

And, unapologetically, here it is:

There is no dangerous obesity. At any given moment she would have expected several people among us that were seriously overweight, she didn’t see any.

People wear very colorful clothes, with lots of flower patterns.

There are different stereotypes here, Americans are not Colombian’s favorite tourists-according to what she repeatedly heard from strangers- taxi drivers, random pedestrians-who assumed she, like our coffee, was 100 percent Colombian.

People are extremely polite to each other, even if they aren’t necessarily kind, they speak politely.

Everyone looks so clean.

Not many people smoke.

The size of the orders of the food-she noticed while we ate at Presto-are a lot smaller, but not too small to fill your stomach.

Very few people wear sunglasses.

Clothing is very expensive. “Do people actually shop frequently?” she asked.

“This is the best spot in Medellín.”

This is what she said one day while we were sitting on La 70, looking towards a restaurant we had dinner at a few nights prior.

The restaurant is called Dejame Q’ Te Cuente, a mouthful for most foreigners not accustomed to Spanish. It’s my favorite grill in Medellín, for its outdoor seating, great music and warm vibe.

The fact that my server is always the same and remembers my order is comforting; the place makes you feel at home.

Everything is delicious, but on the night we had dinner there with friends, everyone wanted a rib from my stack, so both Monica and I recommend them.

It has been a week, and I have shown Monica little nooks of where I live now, and what our country looks like since she left it. She’s comfortable, happy, but unsettled about the amount of money it takes to pay for a round trip ticket here. She’s a student and fears she won’t be able to come back for years.

In the meantime, she is tasting everything, eating mango when possible-“con mucho limón”- and discovering herself and her culture more and more every day.

Soon, we’ll be heading off to Manizales, and the city that seemed big when she was three feet tall, will probably shrink in front of her eyes to the small, traditional place with growing infrastructure that it is now…and I can’t wait to see what she has to say about it.

Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario is another of the notable and historic Roman Catholic churches located in the Medellín metro area.

The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the advocation of the Rosary. The architecture of Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario has some neo-Byzantine influences.

The church is located in Bello, which is the most northern municipality in the valley.

The church is impressive and it has perhaps the most beautiful interior out of all the churches in Medellín we have looked at so far. The church is also considered a museum of religious art.

In addition to decorated facade, columns, walls and arches, it has a range of art work such as murals, stained glass, carvings, sculptures, reliefs and liturgical objects.

Note that there are additional churches named Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario in the metro area so you are not confused, including one in La Estrella and one in Itagüí.

The central nave inside Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario

History of the Church

In the late nineteenth century, the membership of the Catholic church in Bello went to the Bishop of Medellín at the time, Bernardo Herrera Restrepo, informing him of the threat of ruin to the old Hato Veijo Chapel, recommending that it be replaced.

The Bishop welcomed the request and authorized the building of a new church with the site chosen at the main park in Bello, diagonal to Hato Veijo Chapel.

The new church was designed by Italian Architect Albano Germanetti. Construction started in 1936 and the church opened on October 10, 1947. Since opening, the church has operated as a Roman Catholic church.

Inside Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario showing some of the artwork

Inside the Church

The interior of Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario is white with gold trim. The church is very beautiful inside and impressive with a tremendous number of artwork pieces and many stained glass windows.

One of several murals on the ceiling of the church

The church has several large murals on the ceiling, which I haven’t seen in other churches in the city.

The main altar inside the church during mass

The main altar in the church is also impressive and the church has confessionals found along the right and left aisles.

Parque Bello

Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario is located in Bello on Calle 30 next to Parque Bello.

Parque Bello

Parque Bello is the main park in Bello. There are several trees in the park providing shade to relax.

The park has two churches on either side of the park and many restaurants and small shops are located around the park and on nearby streets. There are also some nearby bars and casinos.

National Monument to Marco Fidel Suárez

Also near to the park a couple blocks away is the National Monument to Marco Fidel Suárez, who was someone famous from Bello with humble origins.

Suárez was president of Colombia from 1918 to 1921. The monument protects a small hut, where the former president was born.

How to Get There

The easiest way to get to Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario is to take the Medellín metro north to the Bello station and the church is located about a 10-minute walk north from the metro station.

There are also frequent buses that run from the Bello metro station to Parque Bello, where the church is located. Cost is only about 1,200 pesos.

Or you can ask any taxi driver in Medellín to take you to “Parque Bello,” just about every taxi driver will know where it is.

It is relatively safe to walk from the metro station to Parque Bello as there are many people on the streets during the day or you can take the short bus ride.

There has reportedly been some violence in the park at night, so it is not recommended to go there after dark.

The doors to Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario aren’t open all the time and I didn’t see a mass schedule posted so it is recommended to call the church to make sure it is open to see the beautiful interior.

Hato Viejo Chapel

Hato Viejo Chapel

Hato Viejo (Old Herd) Chapel still exists and is located on the other side of Parque Bello from Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Hato Viejo Chapel is a much older colonial church that was built between 1772 and 1796.

Hato Viejo Chapel was repaired while Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario was built but after Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario opened in 1947, Hato Viejo Chapel was closed.

When closed, Hato Viejo Chapel began to deteriorate and became so forgotten it was used as a tile factory for a while, despite being declared a national monument in 1960.

After that time the chapel continued to deteriorate and be forgotten with the larger Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario on the other side of the park.

But in 2005, since the building was a national monument, a restoration project of Hato Viejo Chapel started with an investment totaling 1,959 million pesos.

The National Government in Colombia, the Antioquia Government and the Municipality of Bello all contributed to the restoration.

Hato Viejo Chapel reopened in 2010 and it is still used today but is open much less often than the larger Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario.

One of the stained glass windows in Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario

Note to Readers

This is the tenth notable church in Medellín we have looked at in a series on this website looking at the most notable churches in the city.

The first nine churches we have looked at in Medellín have all been in La Candelaria (El Centro) and all could be seen in a few hours time. Most of the churches in El Centro are located within one to seven blocks of a metro station.

The majority of the notable churches in Medellín are located in El Centro but we now turn our focus in this church series to look at some of the most notable churches in other neighborhoods in the city.

We are covering the churches in Medellín in a series on this website as we have found that most of the beautiful churches in the city are unfortunately missing from the travel guidebooks of Colombia.

]]>http://medellinliving.com/iglesia-nuestra-senora-del-rosario/feed/1http://medellinliving.com/iglesia-nuestra-senora-del-rosario/Dame Tu Lengua Comes To Medellínhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedellinLiving/~3/5BT99_CUSzM/
http://medellinliving.com/dame-tu-lengua/#commentsFri, 05 Jun 2015 13:00:48 +0000http://medellinliving.com/?p=28055Dame Tu Lengua, a language and cultural event, came to Medellín for the first time in May.

The first Saturday of May was the chosen date for the Dame Tu Lengua event in Medellín.

After countless events in Bogotá, and several requests around the country, the organizers chose our beloved city.

What is Dame Tu Lengua?

Dame Tu Lengua or “give me your tongue” is an alternative type of event that focuses on the exchange between people that either descend from different countries or want to practice a language they’re learning or are fluent in.

Dame Tu Lengua is also a language school that reaches our to underprivileged areas in Bogotá with volunteers from countries such as France and Germany, among others.

The idea is to bring together several nationalities, native and foreign, to have a learning circle in which everyone is both a teacher and a learner.

Exchanging languages, as we know, goes so much further than learning vocabulary from someone else.

An exchange of language is inevitably an exchange of culture. Therefore this is an entirely cultural event, more than having financial or publicity goals-its end is to encourage a cultural dynamic.

Each occasion lasts for twelve hours, takes place every two weeks and includes games, artistic exhibitions, local design and business.

I was lucky enough to attend the event that took place in Bogotá exactly one week before our first here in the city. In the capital, the venue is A Seis Manos, a French-owned bar and restaurant in La Candelaria.

Dame tu Lengua in Bogotá

There, all kinds of people arrive to sit at the tall, long tables marked with a flag to show which language is spoken. The ceiling is lined with flags to welcome everyone, and the crowd is diverse.

I was able to see several local businesses pushing forward their products. The one that caught my attention the most was the soft drink called AMA started by a French Moroccan, with a variety of citrus flavors, it made me want them to sell in Medellín.

Later in the night, the lights dim down, and the music gets progressively louder. The party is on, the dancing begins. The event pulls through with one of the most accessible events to people of any age, depending on the time.

Attendees of the event sitting in a corner of the patio

The Event in Medellín

The venue was chosen in April. Centro Plazarte, though a lot bigger than A Seis Manos, was the perfect place.

It provided several small rooms for people to traffic through while a central area served as a common place.

It’s open patio, combined with the Medellín weather gave the evening bonfire a summer night feel that most people were happy to enjoy, even before DJ Mario Groove adapted the place to an electronic party.

Centro Plazarte

Bonfire in the patio of Centro Plazarte

While in Bogotá the event goes from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m., in Medellín it was adapted to run from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Instead of tables, entire rooms or corners were designated for specific languages.

English (in both British and American accents) was in the center, and in the other rooms, German, French, and for a brief while, I saw a Brazil flag that was later taken down- supply and demand, I guess?

The English common area of the event

Who Attended

Apart from the people who attended the event for fun, a lot of which were Medellín Living readers, several businesses made their presence known.

When you walked in, you ran straight into Voltta Clothing exhibiting their printed t-shirts and designs. Immediately next to them, Peluqueer, providing style services such as makeup, haircuts and styles and clothing.

A Peluqueer staff working on a client’s makeup

In the center, I ran into El Alemán Pues, serving sausages, potato salads, and other simple but tasty meals.

Also, the sponsors mostly had their own stands, for one, AIESEC was providing counseling services for travels and internships.

By the end of the night, people came in for mostly drinks and dancing, paying a 10,000 peso (about $4) cover after 9 o’clock and two spaces were adapted for dancing and music, the back patio-like I said- for electronic and the central section for salsa dancing with DJ Jorge Botero.

From what I could see, lots of people took well to the event, some had been there before, some were new to the concept. Everyone looked happy to be there, and the event will be back for more from Medellín soon!

Did you attend the event? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

]]>http://medellinliving.com/dame-tu-lengua/feed/4http://medellinliving.com/dame-tu-lengua/J&C Delicias: Gourmet Arepas with Everythinghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedellinLiving/~3/eBX0W-ZLra8/
http://medellinliving.com/jc-gourmet-arepas/#respondThu, 04 Jun 2015 13:00:00 +0000http://medellinliving.com/?p=27878J&C Delicias specializes in gourmet arepas, which can be topped with just about anything. The restaurant has over a dozen locations in and around Medellín.

Arepa is a staple food for Colombians; it’s like what bread is to the French and tortillas are to the Mexicans. It’s both traditional and versatile as it can be prepared for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack.

Plain arepas are very common in Colombia but so are an assortment of filled and topped ones. One restaurant that specializes in arepas is J&C Delicias. It opened in 1980 in a home garage by a family in Laureles that loved cooking.

As time passed, the place quickly grew due to an influx of customers. Today, J&C Delicias has over a dozen locations throughout the city of Medellín, including major commercial malls like El Tesoro,Santafe, Oviedo, Rio Sur, Centro Comercial City Plaza and the international airport.

One is only limited by his or her imagination when it comes to preparing these “pizza style arepas;” aside from choosing from the menu, you can also mix your own toppings.

Prices range between $7 and $12 and are served in either medium or “traditional” sizes. Pickles, onions and condiments are available at every table.

Though they specialize in pizza, J&C also have a variety of other options on the menu like pastas, burgers, salads and sandwiches.

Arepa is by far one of the most traditional “Paisa meals.” It makes an excellent base for an assortment of toppings, so your best bet when visiting J&C is to order an arepa and just let your imagination go wild.

]]>http://medellinliving.com/jc-gourmet-arepas/feed/0http://medellinliving.com/jc-gourmet-arepas/Geo Hostel: A Prime Location in Pobladohttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedellinLiving/~3/3wS3xpJcmAk/
http://medellinliving.com/geo-hostel/#respondWed, 03 Jun 2015 13:00:48 +0000http://medellinliving.com/?p=28037A modern hostel in a prime location just a few blocks from Parque Lleras.

The owner of the Geo Hostel has done well on the location front. On the same road as favorite nightlife hangouts such as

On the same road as popular bars such as El Social, next door to a plethora of restaurants (including Lenteja Express) and a hop, skip and a jump from Parque Lleras, the address of the hostel is hard to beat.

The exterior has plants adorned with outdoor tables and parasols while the entrance lobby is more of a cross between a designer shop and boutique hotel.

As you head up the small stairs, you enter a hostel and the more familiar sight of rooms with bunk beds reveals itself.

The rooms are fine, clean and modern. Each room has a digital code to unlock the door. There are lockers and a bathroom inside the room.

Bunk beds

The double bunk beds look like the standard ones you see across the globe, and there are no views from the dorms given they’re on the ground floor.

The hostel has three levels. The first floor has the aforementioned 8-bed dorms, and the layout is relatively cosy. There is a small indoor patio, alongside a well-equipped kitchen.

The second floor features private rooms. This has an altogether more hotel feel to it with TV’s inside the rooms, a modern design and large double beds.

There are double-paned windows to cut down on the noise in the street-facing rooms. This is important as I imagine there is a lot of noise given the central location.

A Private room

There are a couple of nice touches, with a little nook home to a funky looking seating arrangement and a small choice of books, as well two computers (free for use) for those travellers who have somehow lost their iPhones, tablets or laptops. God forbid.

The big surprise/advantage of the hostel is the third floor or terrace. It is infinitely more spacious than the rest of the hostel and is a completely open plan.

Top floor – open plan

Guests can play table tennis or use the lounge area with TV/Playstation and board games.

The terrace has some artificial grass with chaise lounges and views over the city. So now hostels have terraces with comfortable space for sunbathers. Who knew?

In total there are four dorms and four private rooms, so the hostel is on the smaller side. The ambience is relaxed, and purposefully so.

The owners decided to not have a bar to make sure that it is a more “familiar” vibe and not a party atmosphere, however with its proximity to the nightlife, it isn’t a remote getaway and will be sure to attract those keen on sampling the nearby bars and clubs.

The cost of the rooms is reasonable with dorms at 27,000 pesos ($11) per person per night and private rooms starting from 90,000 pesos ($36) for the room. A family room with double bed and double bunk bed is 150,000 pesos ($60).

Wi-Fi is included, as is breakfast that includes an arepa, eggs and cereals.

All your tours to the usual tourist destinations, Santa Fe and Guatape, can be booked from the friendly and welcoming reception.

Although the downstairs dorms make it feel a bit compact, the terrace is a great lounging area and the hostel will be a good choice for those who want to be close to the action, without going all out on the party side.

]]>http://medellinliving.com/geo-hostel/feed/0http://medellinliving.com/geo-hostel/Iglesia de San Ignacio, a Historic Church in El Centrohttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedellinLiving/~3/py_0ObaNmlQ/
http://medellinliving.com/iglesia-de-san-ignacio/#commentsMon, 01 Jun 2015 13:00:00 +0000http://medellinliving.com/?p=27929Continuing our tour of the notable and historic churches in Medellín, we next look at Iglesia de San Ignacio, which has Baroque and Colonial influences.

History of the Church

In the early 1800s the people of Medellín were eager to have a local religious school as the only way for children to study religion was to send them off to Bogotá or Popayán.

The city attorney along with the support of the bishop of Popayán and Bogotá officials persuaded King Carlos IV, who authorized the construction of the School of Franciscan (which was the origin of the University of Antioquia) and the Church of San Francisco.

Construction started in 1803 and the church was completed in 1809. However, in 1812, after Colombia gained, the Franciscan community abandoned Medellín.

Since that time and during civil wars in Colombia, the church was occupied by the military, particularly in early 1885, when it was converted into a military barracks with kitchens and bedrooms for troops.

However, in 1886, Bishop Bernardo Herrera Restrepo gave to the Jesuits the Church of San Francisco and they decorated it and inaugurated it as Iglesia de San Ignacio on July 29, 1886.

Since that time it has operated as a Roman Catholic church.

The Central Nave Inside Iglesia de San Ignacio

Inside the Church

The interior of Iglesia de San Ignacio is white and dark red with gold trim. Many beautiful pieces of art can be found in the church.

The main altar in the church is impressive and the church has confessionals found along the right and left aisles. It also has an organ found on the second floor.

How to Get There

Iglesia de San Ignacio is located at the relatively small San Ignacio Plaza, which is located along Carrera 44 at Ayacucho.

The doors to the church have been open during the day the few times I have walked by it, even when mass was not going on.

The easiest way to get to Iglesia de San Ignacio is to take the Medellín metro to the Parque Berrio station or the San Antonio station and the church is located about a seven-block walk from either metro station.

The church is located only two blocks from Iglesia de San José, another historic church in El Centro. To get to Iglesia de San Ignacio from Iglesia de San José, walk two blocks along Ayacucho from Oriental.

Iglesia San Antonio is also located nearby (about seven blocks), so it would be possible to see all three historic churches in a relatively short amount of time.

Or you can ask any taxi driver in Medellín to take you to “Iglesia de San Ignacio en El Centro,” just about every taxi driver will know where to find it.

Note to Readers

This is the ninth notable church in Medellín we have looked at in a series on this website looking at the most notable churches in the city.

The first nine churches we have looked at in Medellín have all been in El Centro and all could be seen in a few hours time. Most of the churches in El Centro are located within one to seven blocks of a metro station.

It would be possible to combine a tour of several of the notable churches in La Candelaria (El Centro) along with visits to Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero.

The majority of the notable churches in Medellín are located in El Centro and Iglesia de San Ignacio is the last one we plan to look at in El Centro.

We plan over the next month or two look at more historic churches in Medellín which are located in other parts of the city.

We are covering the churches in Medellín in a series on this website as we have found that most of the beautiful churches in the city are unfortunately missing from the travel guidebooks of Colombia.

]]>http://medellinliving.com/iglesia-de-san-ignacio/feed/1http://medellinliving.com/iglesia-de-san-ignacio/“El Aula” is the New Addition to the Carlos E. Food Scenehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedellinLiving/~3/qK0plf14KqI/
http://medellinliving.com/el-aula/#commentsThu, 28 May 2015 13:00:00 +0000http://medellinliving.com/?p=27506El Aula is a new restaurant shaking the Carlos E. Restrepo food scene with its Mediterranean influence.

“The only thing that unsettles me about dying is if it were not for love”

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

That’s the quote on the glass door in the back of this new Carlos E. Restrepo restaurant.

That’s no coincidence. This place has been family built with love. You can feel it from the moment you walk in. El Aula, or “the classroom,” makes you wish you had felt this at home during school.

This isn’t the first time Medellín is home to a business from this family: a couple of decades ago, you could find a similar place in the city.

Pablo’s family eventually gave it up and his wife and he started a life during the last 15 years in Spain.

Feeling nostalgic, they returned and very recently (March 2015) reopened a place that is not only a tribute to Pablo’s family but to their past in the Mediterranean nation they called home. The culinary influence is easily observed in the menu.

Hellriegel Beer at El Aula

What to Expect

The place is new, no doubt about it. But they have prepared themselves with local coffee and beer (from Amor Perfecto and Hellriegel, respectively) and been able to attract a lunch and dinner crowd as well as the students known to hang around the university neighborhood.

The place has great outdoor areas in the front and back and a large but cozy indoor space. Its owners, like many in Medellín businesses, tend to hang around and could end up being your server, though with the great and friendly service, you might not know the difference.

As we know, Carlos E. Restrepo is an area in which you can find young students, their teachers, children, pets elderly, tiendas, bars, restaurants and so much more: a heterotopia that is drastically different from the Poblado environment.

However, with its live music, artisans and lively feel, I have yet to meet a person, foreign or native who doesn’t love to hangout here.

Lasagne de la mia mamma

Of Course, the Food

When I first visited La Aula I was sold on the idea of their Lasagne de la mia mamma. I am a sucker for pasta and a mixed chicken and beef lasagna was exactly what I was planning on…and it did not disappoint.

Much like the name suggests, the lasagna took me back to my mother’s kitchen when she would make my birthday favorite. Keep in mind, my portion was complimentary and a smaller version of their main dish.

Next, we tried their grilled veggies which included zucchini, red pepper, cucumber, onion and eggplant, all tasty as expected, and the back-to-basics Chicken Caesar Salad which is hardly a dish that can let you down.

Finally, the chef surprised us with one of their favorites, a dish made usually with bull meat but, adapted in Medellín with beef from a calf slow cooked perfectly with potatoes. I was so eager to try this dish that I had no time to take a photo of it!

What I love the most about El Aula is the space it adds to the Carlos E. scene. There is nothing like it. Whether you want a coffee, a beer, a place to study or work, or a lunch or dinner date, it serves as the backdrop for any casual outing.

]]>http://medellinliving.com/el-aula/feed/3http://medellinliving.com/el-aula/Carlos E. Restrepo: University Neighborhood Turned Hot-Spothttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedellinLiving/~3/RFkFa594rQE/
http://medellinliving.com/carlos-e-restrepo/#commentsWed, 27 May 2015 13:00:00 +0000http://medellinliving.com/?p=27523Carlos E. Restrepo is not just the name of a Colombian ex-president, it's one of the most versatile spots to hangout in the city.

The neighborhood is middle to upper class, located close to Calle 50 (Colombia) and Carrera 65, both high traffic roads with plenty of businesses.

What makes it so special, though, is its proximity to the National University in Medellín, the public library (Biblioteca Publica Piloto) and Universidad de Antioquia’s Arts Faculty, all of which attract students.

Universidad de Antioquia Cultural Center Arts Faculty

Over the past thirty years, Carlos E. Restrepo, better known as “Carlos E.” has developed a strip of cafés and restaurants, while keeping the traditional tiendas in between.

It’s hard to categorize the restaurants and stores you can find in Carlos E. I could go through the oldest and the newest, the best, the worst, the ones I haven’t tried…and so on.

However, I decided to do this in a semi-organized way: what these places offer.

Cafes

ExLibris – Good coffee, known for their desserts, also a bookstore with lots of knickknacks for sale.

Cafe La Piloto – Situated adjacent the Public Library, it has literary afternoons, movie nights and other events.

Artsy Restaurants

Most of these places have art on the wall already, Kaldi has paintings of birds, Verde Albahaca has a mural on the wall, but a few of these restaurants pride themselves on being alternative, artsy places.

They all serve a daily lunch menu that goes for about 8,000 pesos ($3).

Ciudad Cafe – After 17 years running, this place got a rep for being a good music spot; they have live music on Thursdays, and Mondays and Tuesdays there are film discussions.

El Aula – The newest addition of Carlos E., El Aula is a classroom-inspired restaurant with a Mediterranean-inspired menu.

La Comedia – The oldest of the Carlos E. scene, La Comedia has been around for almost 30 years and offers a variety of food.

Fast Food

Pizza

La Tiendecita – Because of the variety of pizzas offered in Carlos E., I have yet to try their menu, but the decor on the inside is artsy and attractive.

Verde Albahaca – This is a place with a large music-inspired mural made by a Universidad de Antioquia student.

Bigotes – This pizza has quite the reputation; the German owner makes his ham and bacon, so these pizzas are amazing. Arrive early, though, if you’re hungry. The line after 7 p.m. can postpone the satisfaction of your pizza craving.

Pie de Angel Calzado

Shoes

The only one of its kind, the shoe store in Carlos E. has bounced from being an independent design store to its current form as a shoe shop.

Tango concert during Dias del Libro

Events

Carlos E. Restrepo is such a weekend hot-spot that you will always see students sitting on the pavement selling sandwiches, having a beer, enjoying their night because there are no open benches left.

However, they also have events that pump up the visits, like Dias del Libro, during which, for a weekend, the place is full of book sale stands, food, drinks, and ambiance- even outdoor concerts!

All of these places and elements make Carlos E. an inexpensive and enjoyable outing any day of the week. Though it is one of the city’s smallest and lesser-known hangout spots, once you visit you’re sure to return.

Have you visited Carlos E. Restrepo and any of its cafés or restaurants? Let us know in the comments below.

A little over a year ago, I wrote about the amazing therapeutic work of Florence, a Californian who quickly established a positive reputation among expats and Colombians as a sports/massage therapist who isn’t afraid to go deep.

I was so positive I wouldn’t find someone like her when she decided to return to the U.S. in late 2014, I didn’t even look. Then Leidy Madonna reached out and introduced herself.

Leidy is a bilingual (English/Spanish) sports therapist from Puerto Asis, a town in the Putumayo region of the Colombian Amazon, near the border with Ecuador.

According to her, it’s a “land of indigenous traditions and beliefs in plants and all the natural holistic world.”

In Medellín, she works out of her apartment near the Premium Plaza mall (Poblado), as well as by visiting clients’ homes. By the time she invited me to experience her services, she’d already begun working with several of my previous therapist’s clients, as well as local athletes.

When I arrived for my first appointment, Leidy invited me inside and offered a glass of juice, which I gladly accepted. A comfortable looking massage table was set up in the living room, with plenty of natural light.

We had a brief chat in which I told her I was in no physical pain and was interested in the massage as a way to relieve stress and tension.

Leidy at work

Within minutes, she was going to work on my back and shoulders, and she didn’t hesitate to go deep. Her approach is a combination of different techniques, including deep tissue, trigger point, rolfing and reflexology.

Leidy initially learned the art of massage from a therapist in her hometown. She didn’t go to school for it, but rather learned through what sounded like an apprenticeship.

Since then, she has continued to learn new styles and techniques. In 2016, she’s going to begin working toward her degree in Sports Training and Nutrition.

Like Florence, it was her experience with pain which led her to start helping others. We didn’t get into specifics, but she mentioned it was a condition that caused her to feel pain throughout her body for 10 years.

As a result of her experience with pain, she is now committed to helping others. She told me her biggest satisfaction is seeing her clients smile after a treatment and that no one should have to live in pain.

My first massage lasted about 90 minutes. Afterwards, she typically leads her clients in some light stretching, but I had another appointment so I couldn’t stay.

The next day I felt a moderate amount of soreness, so when I returned the following week for a second massage, I asked for less pressure.

The second massage was more relaxing, and I felt less soreness the next day too. We’d found a happy medium, and I knew I’d found a new therapist to help me combat the stress of city life.

Nick Milne also had the opportunity to experience one of Leidy’s massages. Below is his account.

“As soon as I entered the room, I thought I would be in for a good, professional massage. A massage is an experience and for me the ambience is key. There were candles and relaxing music, and Leidy’s friendly welcome. Ideal.

We had a brief discussion about what kind of pressure I liked (I went medium) and then if I had suffered any injuries in the past. Leidy is an injury specialist and specializes in sports massage so ideal for anyone with aches and pains from long-suffering sports injuries.

She worked her way from the back down to the legs, switched me onto my back and then finished with the head. All while using different oils and ointments for relevant parts. The pressure was firm without being too harsh.

Overall I was very pleased with the session which lasted just over an hour and a half. I felt a bit like I had done a strenuous work out the next day, but felt great as the days progressed.

I would recommend a massage to relieve the everyday stress and strains of living in Medellín and in Leidy you will find a friendly, professional and competent masseuse.”

Whether you’re seeking to reduce stress like Nick and me or have a specific injury or ailment that needs a healing touch, I’m confident recommending Leidy Madonna.

Editor’s Note: As of June 11, 2015 Leidy’s main office is now in Patio Bonito (Poblado), however, she will still be working out of Laureles one day a week, for those who live on that side of the river. The rates below were updated on June 11.